"Many soldiers kept hard objects in the breast pockets of their army uniforms in a bid to protect themselves from enemy fire," Adrian Stevenson, militaria expert at Hansons Auctioneers, said in comments obtained by SWNS. “Cigarette cases, shaving mirrors and pocket Bibles were popular."

Stevenson continued: “A bullet potentially heading for the heart could be stopped in its tracks by objects such as this, particularly if it was reaching the end of its trajectory. Consequently, these objects have gained historical significance. They provide us with an insight into how young men who lived a century ago dealt with the grave dangers faced in the trenches in the war to end all wars.”